Oilseed Rape Yield Performance in the Clearfield® System under Varying Management Intensities

Oilseed rape production is under pressure due to a limited availability of herbicides. Therefore, the performance in terms of management intensity (MI) and herbicide strategy (HS) and the involved yield formation was evaluated in a two-year Clearfield® oilseed rape field experiment. Furthermore, weed density and weed composition were also investigated. The variants of MI were standard sowing density (StS; seed rate: 50 seeds m−2, primary tillage: plow, row width: 12 cm), reduced sowing density (RD; seed rate: 25 seeds m−2, primary tillage: plow, row width: 50 cm), and strip-till (ST; seed rate: 25 seeds m−2, primary tillage: strip tillage, row width: 50 cm). The variants of HS were preemergence strategy (PES; application of dimethachlor, napropamide, clomazone in preemergence and application of prapaquizafop in postemergence) and Clearfield® strategy (CLS; application of imazamox, quinmerac in preemergence, no postemergence herbicide application). In the first year of the trial, there were no interactions between the factors in terms of grain yield. Grain yield in StS was 3.85 t and 5.2% significantly lower than in ST, and the value of RD was not significantly different from StS and ST. Grain yield in CLS was 3.7 t and 2.7% lower than in PES. In the second year of the trial, the grain yield in ST CLS was significantly lower, and there were no significant differences between the other variants. Higher weed emergence was observed in CLS RD (2.7 to 4 times higher weed density compared to PES RD) and CLS ST (2.8 to 4.5 times higher weed density compared to PES ST). No significant differences existed between StS PES and StS CLS in both trial years. The Clearfield® system offers significant advantages in the control of cruciferous weeds. Although these did not occur on the trial fields, the Clearfield® system in this study showed to be an alternative to the more common pre-emergence system, especially with regard to the parameter grain yield.

Comparison of UAS-Based Structure-from-Motion and LiDAR for Structural Characterization of Short Broadacre Crops

The use of small unmanned aerial system (UAS)-based structure-from-motion (SfM; photogrammetry) and LiDAR point clouds has been widely discussed in the remote sensing community. Here, we compared multiple aspects of the SfM and the LiDAR point clouds, collected concurrently in five UAS flights experimental fields of a short crop (snap bean), in order to explore how well the SfM approach performs compared with LiDAR for crop phenotyping. The main methods include calculating the cloud-to-mesh distance (C2M) maps between the preprocessed point clouds, as well as computing a multiscale model-to-model cloud comparison (M3C2) distance maps between the derived digital elevation models (DEMs) and crop height models (CHMs). We also evaluated the crop height and the row width from the CHMs and compared them with field measurements for one of the data sets. Both SfM and LiDAR point clouds achieved an average RMSE of ~0.02 m for crop height and an average RMSE of ~0.05 m for row width. The qualitative and quantitative analyses provided proof that the SfM approach is comparable to LiDAR under the same UAS flight settings. However, its altimetric accuracy largely relied on the number and distribution of the ground control points.

POTENTIALLY PRODUCTIVE SELECTION DEVELOPMENT DIRECTIONS OF HASHISH - FREE VARIETIES OF THE CENTRAL RUSSIAN HEMP

The article considers and presents the main economic and biological parametres of new hashish-free varieties of androgenous hemp of the Central Russian type. The authors studied four zoned and recommended the following varieties of androgenous hemp into production: Diana, Ingreda, Antonio and Juliana. The research was carried out in 2013-2015 on the experimental base of Chuvash Research Institute of Agriculture. The objects of the research were androgenous hemp varieties: Diana, Ingreda, Antonio and Juliana. A comparative study of the varieties by a complex of economically valuable traits was carried out on a control seed plot. Experimental plots were 2-row, row width - 0.45 m, row length - 5.0 m, plot area - 4.5 m2. Repetition was sixfold. Sowing was carried out with a hand marker, the seeding scheme was 5x45 cm. According to the analysis, it was revealed that androgenous hemp has a high population uniformity by gender. It was established that early maturity of androgenous hemp varieties allows them to be cultivated both for seeds and fiber, which significantly increases the economic production efficiency. Androgenous hemp plants ensure simultaneous maturation of plants, which, in turn, allows mechanized harvesting to be carried out. A promising and noteworthy direction of hemp selection work is development of the so-called unisexual hybrids. It was revealed that the basis for creation of unisexual hemp is hybridization: dioecious varieties are taken for the maternal form, and monoecious varieties - for the fatherly one. In this regard, the question of creating the so-called unisexual hemp hybrids has been and remains an eternal topic of scientific research

APPLICATION OF TRACE ELEMENTS IN POTATO CULTIVATION -PREREQUISITES FOR THE USE OF DRONES

The use of trace elements in the form of a chelated fertilizer can increase the yield and shelf life of potato tubers. When processing plantings with a tractor unit after closing the tops, severe damage to the plants by the tractor wheels is likely to be caused. In this case, it is advisable to use drones. The aim of the study was to make a comparative assessment of the eff ect of innovative preparations: sulfur-containing and containing trace elements in chelated form: Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Mo, Co, B, and the Aquarin-12 preparation on the yield and shelf life parameters of potato tubers of the Udacha and Kolobok varieties, as well as to perform preliminary calculations of the spray (capture) width when spraying potato plantings with a drone. The studies were conducted in 2018-2019 on sod-podzolic sandy loam soil. The experiment was carried out according to the requirements of the fi eld experiment and potato research methodology. The experiment was laid out according to the scheme, by the method of systematic placement of plots in four-fold repetition with a planting density of 44.4 thousand bushes/ha and the inter-row width of 75 cm. The use of the tested preparations allowed increasing the yield by 3.4…8.7 t/ha (12…37%) and reducing the total storage losses by 1.6…2.3%, especially in a good weather year. According to the calculations performed, it turned out that at the height of the drone fl ight of 9 m, the value of the spraying width or the sprayer’s operating width was 10.4 m. When conducting fi eld tests on potato plantings in a fi eld of 120x20 meters with a plant height of up to 1.0 m, the drone performed that task in 15 minutes (including refueling). A signifi cant increase in yield and a reduction in total losses during storage confi rm the feasibility of using preparations with trace elements in a chelated form when growing potatoes.

PECULIARITIES OF USING THE VERTICAL ROTARY CULTIVATOR FOR INTER-ROW SOIL TILLAGE OF RASPBERRY PLANTINGS [

When tilling the soil with a vertical-rotary limiter of the raspberry row width, rotating knives perform its transverse transferring. In this regard, it is advisable to fi nd the means to control the process. The study revealed the infl uence of the design parameters of the raspberry row width limiter on the pattern and degree of the lateral displacement of the cross-section of the cultivated soil strip. The authors assessed the intensity of the process of transverse soil redistribution by comparing the positions of the gravity centers of the treated strip cross-section before and after the tillage operation. The studies analyzed medium and heavy loams with a humus content of less than 2.5% and a wide range of variation in moisture content and contamination of the treated strip. With a rotor diameter of about 900 mm, the lateral displacement of the gravity center of the strip cross-section varies within the range of 50…100 mm. The authors found that the lateral displacement control of the soil layer is possible at a constant forward inclination angle of the rotation axis of the knife rotor, which is equal to 18º. This can be done by changing the lateral inclination angle of the specifi ed axis towards the row spacing center in the range between 10 and 20º. As a result, a signifi cant portion of the discarded soil returns to the treated strip surface, minimizing its outside throw-off and eliminating the possibility of injuring the raspberry shoots. The limiter proposed by the authors has a longitudinal baffl e installed at an angle to the vertical with a minimum energy intensity of the process. It helps to maintain the cross-section of the surface of the row spacing of raspberries in a leveled state throughout the entire life of the plantation.possibility of ensuring the maximum propagation range of a non-isothermal supply air jet by angular correction of the fl ow vector at the outlet of the ventilation unit. Based on the theory of free air distribution, the author analyzed and graphically visualized the fl ow trajectories of the supply air from the combined climate control unit with heat recovery in the production room in the range of outdoor temperatures from +10 to –40°C. Given the time period of outdoor temperatures, fl at sections of a three-dimensional graph were built with a step of 10°C in the range from +10 to –30°C. The author found that the maximum service area of the installation is limited by the propagation range of the supply air jet. The area can be increased by changing the direction of the fl ow vector by an angle ranging between 0 and 34°. The value of the inclination angle of the fl ow vector of the supply air jet is determined by the obtained approximation dependency. Considering the regulation of the fl ow vector, the author used the formula of M.Z. Pechatnikov to determine the propagation range of a limited axisymmetric jet. The studies carried out made it possible to establish the relationship between the propagation range of the supply air jet of the installation and the outside temperature, the inclination angle of the fl ow vector, and the theoretical variation range of the inclination angle of the fl ow vector, ranging between 0 and 34°.

Productivity of sunflower hybrids with erectoid leaves at various plant densities

We carried out the research in 2018–2019 in the Western Ciscaucasia on leached chernozem, low-humus, extra-heavy, heavy-loamy to study the possibility of cultivation of new sunflower genotypes with a compact habitus at a high plant density (80 000, 100 000 and 120 000 plants/ha) and a row width of 35 cm. We chose sunflower hybrids of the breeding of V.S. Pustovoit All-Russian Research Institute of Oil Crops with the normal (Triumph and Berkut) and the erectoid (Triumph er-2, Triumph Er-3, Berkut er-2, Berkut Er-3) leaf position as an object of research. The high lodging capacity of the erectoid hybrids Triumph еr-2 (30.2%) and Triumph Еr-3 (10.9%) suggests potential yield losses due to non-threshing of heads during the combine harvesting. The highest productivity and oil content of seeds of normal and erectoid hybrids was obtained at the plant density of 80 000 plants/ha. The densification of sowings to 100 000 and 120 000 plants/ha led to a decrease in the traits of yield structure and productivity. The limited resources of the environment do not allow achieving both high productivity and product quality in sowings with the plant density exceeding 80 000 plants/ha. The compact habitus of sunflower plants is not a determining factor in the development of productivity of sowings with a high plant density.

Plowshare for Growing Ecologically Safe Soybeans

The authors showed that strip sowing with the paw plowshare allows soybean plants to branch better, and branches with leaves of nearby rows do not close for a long time, mowing vegetation between the strips reduces the total number of weeds, the chemical load on the crops, and ensures environmental safety of the products.(Research purpose) To determine the seed distribution parameters by the paw plowshare according to the area of the sowing strip and the depth of seed placement, to establish the effect of the plowshare of different types on the weediness of crops and soybean yield after various preceding crops.(Materials and methods) The authors studied the equability of soybean seeds distribution with the paw plowshare on the surface of the grooved tub, adhesive tape, and in the soil according to the following indicators: spread width, number of seeds per unit area, and placement depth. They conducted a comparative field experiment; in different years according to meteorological conditions, on a typical meadow black earth soil, soybean was sown with seeders with plowshare of two designs after various preceding crops: steam, wheat and soy.(Results and discussion) It was determined that the paw plowshare the specified sowing row width of 0.18-0.20 meters at the channel soil at a depth of 0.05 meters. The deviation from the equability of the sown seeds distribution over the area was determined 0.93-1.56 percent. It was found that strip sowing with the paw plowshare and further mowing of weeds between the strips reduced the weediness of soybean crops after fallow land by 67.7 percent, after wheat by 66.5 percent and after soybean by 65.4 percent, increasing its yield compared to ordinary sowing with a disc plowshare.(Conclusions) The authors established a regular increase in soybean productivity when sowing with the paw plowshare: after naked fallow – by 0.59 tons per hectare, after wheat – by 0.51, after soy – by 0.21 tons. They suggested using seeders with paw plowshare 0.2 meters wide at a distance of 0.6 meters from each other for growing ecologically safe soybean seeds in the Amur region.

The study of correlation between productivity and morphobiological traits of the collection peas samples

The current paper has presented the study results of correlation between productivity and morphobiological traits of the collection peas samples. The study was carried out at the FSBSI “AgriculturalResearchCenter“Donskoy”, located in the southern part of theRostovregion. The purpose of the study was to analyze the correlation between the quantitative traits of collection peas samples and their productivity. The study of the pea collection was conducted in the collection nursery of pea in 2017–2019, in accordance with the IPI methodology for the study of legumes (1975), the methodology of the State Commission for Variety Testing of Agricultural Crops (2019) and the methodology of a fi trial (2012). The objects of the study were 100 samples of pea of domestic and foreign breeding taken from the world collection of VIGR named after N. I. Vavilov. The variety “Aksaysky Usaty5”was used as a standard variety. The forecrop was winter wheat. The sowing of the collection samples was carried out in the third decade of March with the SSFK-7 seeder, with a seeding rate of million germinating seeds per1 ha, with a row width of15 cm. The plots contained seven rows. The plot area was5 m2 with a single repetition. The registration plot was0.25 m2. There has been identifi that in 2017-2019 the average productivity ranged from 1.12 t/ha (“Omega”,Moldova) to 2.82 t/ha (“Kazanets”, Rossiya) with average 2.13 t/ha in the collection. The most productive samples were plants with a plant height of 45–55 cm, an average number of beans 2.7–3.3 pcs/plant, 1000 seed weight of 210–270 g, a vegetation period of 69–73 days, and seed weight per plant of 3.3–4.3 g, an average number of seeds 13–19 pcs/plant. The study results of correlation between productivity and morphobiological traits of the collection peas samples are going to be used as an initial material in further breeding work.